Pittsburgh-area police warn of brushing scams

GREENSBURG, Pa. (KDKA) — You've heard of online shopping and package scams, but what about package scams that come right to your door?

The City of Greensburg and several other police departments around the Pittsburgh region want people to be aware of a new scam called a brushing scam.

While there have not been any reports of this scam happening locally, police say it's happening in the U.S. and that people locally should be aware.

The way a brushing scam works is someone receives a package with something they did not order with no return address. When the recipient opens the package, there is a QR code to scan to see who sent you the package or the gift. Once you scan the QR code, that's when they get you.

Bridget Carey, the editor-at-large for CNET, recently talked about this scam on CBS Mornings. She says that this is an easy scam around this time of year because people are either receiving gifts in the mail or they have lost track of things they have bought online.

"What I have seen some people post is that they are getting packages of junk," said Carey, "like a dollar makeup brush, and it has a QR code attached to it. So, it cost them nothing to send it to you, but you are now curious, and you are going through the motions. You know if it's junk, just say, 'it's not worth scanning the code.'"

Once the QR code is scanned, scammers can gain access to your phone and your accounts. And once they do that, they can wreak havoc on your life. Similar QR code scams have been happening around the country recently with parking meters.

Experts say the best course of action is to simply not scan any codes coming from an unsolicited package. 

But what if you do scan the code by accident?

"It's the same as though you got duped by any fishing scam," said Carey. "If you gave someone your password, you got to change your password. If your credit card was involved, you've got to call the credit card companies. Maybe you put a freeze. It's pretty much the same method we've always been tricked by, but now it is just a different way of tricking us, going through a link on a phone, instead of actually clicking the email link."

So again, don't scan any unsolicited QR codes. And by the way, the U.S. Postal Service says that by law any unsolicited merchandise sent to you, you get to keep.